Monday, March 7, 2016

Estrogonofe de Frango

Brazilian Chicken Stroganoff!
Beef Stroganoff is popular worldwide. Beef Stroganoff has probably been cooked in every major city around the world. In the late 1800's, Beef Stroganoff was served in fine dining restaurants. As time moved on, Beef Stroganoff eventually became a home style comfort food item with many recipe variations.
The original Stroganoff was made with beef, onions, mustard, bouillon and sour cream back in the mid 1800's. The addition of mushrooms was one of the first recipe variations. In the beginning of the 20th century, many chefs added tomato paste to the original recipe which gave Beef Stroganoff a reddish orange color. Not everybody liked the addition of tomato and the brown color version of Beef Stroganoff remained the most popular recipe.

Brazilian Estrogonofe is a very nice Stroganoff recipe variation. Tomato is nearly alway part of the Brazilian style Stroganoff recipe and chicken nearly always is substituted for beef. For those who are not familiar with Brazil, the main language spoken in this country is Portuguese. The word "frango" translates to pollo (Latin) or chicken. "Estrogonofe de Frango" literally translates as Chicken Stroganoff, but as the language suggests, this recipe should be prepared with Brazilian flair.
Brazilian style Chicken Stroganoff is much lighter on the tummy than Beef Stroganoff. In Brazil, Estrogonofe de Frango is rarely served with noodles. It is usually served with fried potatoes or rice. For today's recipe presentation, I chose to serve the Estrogonofe de Frango with Italian Fiori Pasta. "Fiori" translates to flower in Italian. Fiori pasta has a pretty looking flower shape that picks the rich sauce up nicely.

Estrogonofe de Frango: This recipe yields 1 hearty portion. Estrogonofe de Frango can be served over fried potatoes or rice and an artisan pasta is also a nice choice. Step 1: Heat a wide sauté pan or sauteuse pan over medium/medium low heat.
Add 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter.
Add 1/3 cup of thin sliced onion.
Add 1/2 taspoon of minced garlic.
Sauté till the onions turn clear in color.Step 2: Add 8 ounces of chicken breast filet that is cut into large bite size pieces.
Add 3/4 cup of small portobello mushrooms that are cut in half.
Sauté till the chicken is more than halfway cooked.Step 3: Add 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth.
Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
Add 1/2 tablespoon of Dijon Mustard.
Stir the ingredients as the sauce comes to a gentle boil.Step 4: Reduce the temperature to low heat.
Add 1/2 cup of cream.
Add 1 pinch of nutmeg.
Add sea salt and white pepper to taste.
Simmer and reduce till the sauce is a thin consistency that can barely coat a spoon.Step 5: Reduce the temperature to very low heat.
Add 1/2 cup of sour cream while stirring.
Gently simmer till the sauce is a medium thin consistency that easily clings to the chicken and mushrooms.
Keep the Estrogonofe de Frango warm over very low heat or in a 135ºF bain marie. Add chicken broth or milk if the sauce becomes too thick.

Estrogonofe de Frango with Fiori Pasta:
Cook 1 portion of Fiori Pasta in boiling water over high heat till it is al dente.
Drain the water off of the pasta.
Place a ring of the Fiori Pasta around the border of a plate and leave the center of the plate bare, to create a well for the Estrogonofe.
Mound the Estrogonofe de Frango on the center of the plate.
Garnish with an Italian Parsley sprig.